Composition: Understanding Line, Notan, and Color
by Arthur Wesley Dow (1857-1922)
Composition is “the ‘putting together’ of lines, masses and colors to make a harmony. Design, understood in its broad sense, is a better word, but popular usage has restricted it to decoration.”
In the visual arts, “there are three structural elements with which harmonies may be built up” – line, notan, and color.
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Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs of People
by Henry Carroll
“Don’t take pictures of people. Take pictures about people.”
Carroll explains the rules of thumb for a traditional portrait, but the book is mainly about moving beyond that. “Don’t suppress your subject’s physical nuances. This is what makes them who they are. There are rules in portraiture about how your subjects should stand, what they should do with their hands, and so on. These rules are fine for corporate headshots, because they’re designed to remove any trace of a person’s individuality. But that’s not what we’re about, right?”
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Drawing From Observation
by Brian Curtis
This is a highly informative book about observational drawing. One of the recurring themes is the distinction between what you see (percepts) and what you know (concepts). “There is meaningful conflict between what is perceived (convergence of parallel tracks) and our traditional rational understanding (Euclid’s theorem that parallel lines never meet)… To prevent your concepts from distorting your perceptions you must record the proportion you see, not the proportion you know.”
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Lessons in Classical Drawing: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier
by Juliette Aristides
Whether you are interested in learning to draw, or are just curious about the process as an observer of art, this is an outstanding book. It is clearly written, and illustrated with elegant artwork by contemporary artists and old masters. The book includes a DVD with video demonstrations by the author.
“Every good drawing exhibits an understanding and control of tone, proportion, harmony, and composition.”
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The Key Point 